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1st Thessalonians 5.23-end
2nd Thessalonians 1.1-3
We wrapped last week up with verse 22 where Paul said,
Abstain from the very appearance of evil.
And this brings us to the wrap up passages of 1st Thessalonians beginning at verse 23 to the end.
So let’s read:
1st Thessalonians 5:23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
24 Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.
25 Brethren, pray for us.
26 Greet all the brethren with an holy kiss.
27 I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read unto all the holy brethren. 28 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen. The first [epistle to the Thessalonians was written from Athens.]
Okay, back to verse 23 as Paul concludes with
And so Paul concludes this epistle with a prayer and its a prayer on their behalf “unto the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ to them.”
The prayer is that first,
“the very God of peace sanctify them wholly”
The sanctification, not the justification is what Paul addresses here. The making of these believers holy where as the justification makes them innocent.
The first without sin, the second with righteousness. Paul prays that God would make them wholly holy – completely – as that is the state in which his children come to him.
So in harmony Paul includes all the ways that they would or could be made holy by God, saying:
“Your whole spirit and soul and body.”
This is the only passage in scripture that mentions all three elements separately and because of it there is the idea that these things are what constitute the make-up of a human being –
A body, a soul and a spirit, which Paul prays will remain blameless unto the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ to them.
There is a lot of discussion about what exactly constitutes a human being.
Some say we are just body, some a body and a soul, but here Paul depicts the believers at Thessalonica as possessing body, soul and spirit.
Going back to Genesis, human beings appear to have been created initially differently than the animals as God created them but what gave human beings life was him breathing his spirit into the body of Adam and him becoming through this act a living soul.
In other words, the clay was inanimate, God breathed into it (his pneuma or spirit) and that clay became a living soul, which is called the Psuche in Greek and is defined as the mind, will and emotion of a person.
It is believed that all living things have a soul – or a mind, a will and emotions – but that they are on a spectrum. Animals, plants – mind, will, and emotions (or feelings).
What separates human kind from the animal kingdom appears to be how our mind will and emotions were established from the start.
We aren’t really told how other living things got a soul but in the creation of Man GOD breathed into the inanimate clay of Man and he BECAME a living soul.
Because of this act of God in the creation of human beings it is assumed that we all have an elevated soul, created by the pneuma of God entering into the body of Man.
In this way Man was to experience intimate relationship with God. Within us from the start was material (the body) and of course the Spirit of God (the Pneuma) and the combination of those two created the complex human mind, will and emotion (psuche).
These are what Paul mentions here in this passage.
The question then becomes what is eternal in this composition, what is ours to keep and retain, and what will fade from existence.
The non-eternal part of the human being iss obviously the body made of the clay. Dust to dust.
What get’s a little more dicey is the externality and composition of the immaterial (non-observable) parts that remain which Paul mentions here – the pnuema (spirit) and the psuche (the soul) which together appear to represent the human intellect, emotions, will, mind, personality, and whatever else I haven’t mentioned.
Relative to these, some (ardent materialists – atheists) say spirit and soul do not exist – and at death all such illusions will vanish in silence.
Of course, Christians, and Muslims, and Jews say otherwise.
What becomes sort of convoluted in Christianity is the categorization and identification of spirit and soul – and this is in large part due to the way scripture speaks of the two.
The topic is by no means black and white and this is in large part because there are many places where Spirit is used to describe the soul and vice versa.
Numbers 16:22 says the line, “O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh.” And this passage makes it sound like we all have a Spirit (or ghost) that comes from God – and most see that spirit as being synonymous with our soul.
The question boils down to whether human beings are dichotomous or trichotolmous creations -2 part or three part.
Trinitarians often embrace the trichotomous view saying that we are made in God’s image and are composed of three parts in one being.
But there are Trinitarians that see the make-up of Man as dichotomous too.
The Trichotomous view is supported by this passage in 1 Thessalonians 5:23 and also Hebrews 4:12, which seems to differentiate between spirit and soul, saying:
Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart..
What to do?
Is there just a spirit in our bodies, or a spirit and a soul?
I take the Trichotomous view in part because of these two New Testament passages and in part because I think it best covers or explains most of what scripture ultimately presents in total.
I’ve done this before but I think it bears repeating when we come to the subject of the make-up of human beings.
As we have read in the beginning God created Man – male and female created he them.
Out of the clay, he breathed into him and man became a living soul.
All three elements were present and engaged in the creation of Man. And Man was good.
From Man of body, soul and spirit God created woman and the two were to become one.
God told man not to eat of the tree of knowledge of Good and evil because in the day that he did he would surely die.
Man ate the fruit and in that day died spiritually.
I take this to mean that Man was separated from God, and I take that to mean that the Spirit of God no longer dwelled with Him, that relationship was cut off, and man had to appeal to God in other external ways.
So prior to the Fall Man was body, soul and spirit. It seems that the Body was made from the earth, God breathed his breath of life into that clay, and that breath of life combined with the clay made Man a living soul – a life with mind, will and emotion.
Because God was in him, by his spirit, it seems that Adam had immediate relation with God via is body mind will and emotion. That they were perhaps united, perhaps a team, with the Spirit of God reigning over his psuche.
But even in this state Man was given the ability to choose – even in spiritual relation with God. And choose she/he did.
And in that day they died – spiritually. And God moved out of them.
So if God moved out of them, what were they composed of? The same thing as the animals – body and soul – but endowed from the start with certain attributes animals lack:
Opposable thumbs.
Greater reason
And ability to worship and choose
Certain intellectual capacities
To name a few.
Nevertheless, though the soul of Man was more advanced from the start due to way it was created from the get-go, by God breathing into Man and him becoming a living soul, the mind, will and emotion of Man was spiritually dead, and therefore man was essentially a dichotomous being post the fall – soul and body.
For this reason Jesus told Nicodemus that for a human being to even see the Kingdom of God they had to be reborn, born-again, born-from-above.
This event would re-introduce the soul of Man to the living God, giving him the ability to have his mind, will and emotion changed and put back into the state in which it was originally created – by the Spirit of God.
So, at rebirth Man becomes the Trichotomous being he was originally created to be. Like the first Adam, all because of the life and death of the Second Adam Yeshua the Christ.
We see the model of three becoming two then becoming three again in biblical history.
First God moved into Adam (by breathing into the clay of Adam), making Adam a three in one being.
Adam defiled himself by sin, God moved out.
God then moved in to a temporary residence, the Temple or tabernacle of the Nation of Israel – visiting once a year.
That building had an outer court, and innercourt and a holy of holies. Three compartments in one temple. Of course that temple was defiled too and God moved out.
To what location? To His only begotten Son. But even in that location God was forced to leave because His Son was also defiled. By what? Our sin. And when God left him His Son cried, My God My God why have you forsaken me.
Of course God moved right back in His Son, and from that point forward into the minds, wills, and emotions of any and all who receive His Son by faith.
This is a permanent residence that God makes and in making it takes a human being who was one simply Dichotomous and makes them Trichotomous or COMPLETE.
In the rebirth, the unregenerated soul of the person becomes regenerate by the inclusion of the Spirit of God, and the two, working in tandem, sanctify the soul of the individual – over time.
We note that at the Fall, Man immediately died spiritually (as God promised) progressively died in his sould (in and through the corruption of his mind, and will and emotions) and then Adam ultimately died in his body (at 930 years of age).
What happens at rebirth? A person is immediately regenerated with spiritual life, they are progressively sanctified in their soul (by the presence of the Holy Spirit in them) and then ultimately they are glorified in their bodies at the resurrection.
What is the state of the unregenerate person. Who lives their life never having their soul regenerated by the presence of the Holy Spirit?
Apparently they continue to exist as Dichotomous creations, having little to no Spiritual regeneration of themselves, and die without being transformed or renewed in their minds by the presence of what was from the beginning supposed to be part of them – His Spirit.
So while the propitiation for sin has been paid for all, the sanctification of all only occurs by and through rebirth.
What makes this important is that based on the sanctification of the individual, which is manifested in the love that they allow in their lives by and through the Spirit, eternal rewards are based.
Which I believe are all meted out by and through the resurrection everyone receives.
So, the import of sharing Yeshua with people in this day and age remains vital. And that is why, when led by the spirit, we continue to do it.
In any case, we have Paul reference, once again, the second coming here, saying that his hope is that “the very God of peace sanctify them wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
The hope is not that their body would be preserved into the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ but that it would be preserves unto or until he came back. He adds
24 Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.
Faithful is he that calleth you – meaning, the God who called them to salvation would be faithful in bringing them to this hoped sanctification.
And in this we see that it truly is God, by His Spirit in us, who renews the mind and brings our fleshly souls up into the heavens of holiness. Paul adds:
25 Brethren, pray for us.
Which is a request that he often makes as they were in constant peril. But this line appears to serve as the beginning of the end of this letter as he also adds:
26 Greet all the brethren with an holy kiss.
Which is something Paul recommends four times in scripture. Biblical literalists? Are you kissing each other? And then verse 27 Paul imposes upon them a charge that is given by an oath, saying:
27 I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read unto all the holy brethren.
“I put you under oath by the Lord.” What was the oath? “That this epistle be read unto all the holy brethren.”
Many believers suggest that this is a directive that the epistle be read to all believers everywhere – and they may be right.
But it could also simply mean that they should make sure all the believers at Thessalonica read or heard the epistle read and that the letter not be suppressed.
The very first verse of the letter does have Paul say it was written to the church at Thessalonica so we cannot be sure of his intentions when writing this.
Finally,
28 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.
Which, of course, is a common benediction offered seven times in the epistles.
And then there is the added subscription here: (The first [epistle to the Thessalonians was written from Athens.) Which were added later and is potentially, probably, most likely, wrong.
And this brings us to 2nd Thessalonians in our verse by verse study. So, let’s get our feet wet with an introduction.
We covered the general overview of Thessalonica and the establishment of the church there, as well as the character of the church in the first letter Paul wrote to the church located there.
This epistle appears to have been written soon after the first, and it is likely that it was written from the same place–Corinth. The probability for this is
1. That the same persons–Paul, Silas, and Timothy–are mentioned in both epistles and are mentioned as being together at the time when they were written, (1st Thessalonians 1:1; and then 2nd Thessalonians 1:1).
2. Paul refers to an error which had apparently occurred as a consequence of the believers there misunderstanding or misinterpreting what he wrote in 1st Thessalonian 2:1-2 and that the error
That resulted in this was really unfortunate (2nd Thessalonians 3:11-12) so it is natural that if this was the case that Paul would most likely write quickly to correct the misinterpretation.
3. In 2nd Thessalonians 3:2 Paul writes,
“And that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men” that these troubles came when he was at Corinth, under the administration of Gallio, according to Acts 18:12-16, and if this is the case then Paul would again have written this epistle within a few months of the first one being penned.
Due to the contents, however, there is little doubt as to the reason of Paul writing this epistle, however.
It seems that either by a false interpretation of the first epistle OR due to a forged epistle being passed around Thessalonica, the believers there had formed the opinion that the Lord was about to appear and that the end of the age or their world was at hand.
The main reason Paul wrote this second letter was to correct this impression.
Chapter 2:2 tells us that some of the believers had become alarmed and were suffering from unnecessary apprehension and anxiety which included the idea that working was useless, and that property was of no value, and they had given up all their worldly concerns – something that happens even in our day and age in the faith.
So this epistle, though short, gives us great insight into the doctrine and teaching of the Second Advent or coming of the Lord.
So let’s read some passages from 2nd Thessalonians beginning at verse 1 though the whole epistle is only 47 verses.
2nd Thessalonians 1:1 Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:
2 Grace unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3 We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth;
Alright, and back to verse 1:
1 Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:
It bears repeating folks, everytime Paul has the opportunity to describe God and or Jesus Christ, he says the following:
Ro 1:7 To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Ro 4:17 ¶ (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.
Romans 15:6 That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
1st Corinthians 1:3 Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
1st Corinthians 8:6 But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.
1st Corinthians 15:24 Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.
2nd Corinthians 1:2 Grace be to you and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
2nd Corinthians 1:3 Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort;
2nd Corinthians 11:31 The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which is blessed for evermore, knoweth that I lie not.
Galatians 1:1 Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead;)
Galatians 1:3 Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ,
Galatians 1:4 Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father:
Galatians 4:6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.
Ephesians 1:2 Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
Ephesians 1:17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:
Ephesians 4:6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
Ephesians 5:20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;
Ephesians 6:23 Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Philippians 1:2 Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Philippians 2:11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Philippians 4:20 Now unto God and our Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Colossians 1:2 To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colosse: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Colossians 1:3 We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,
Colossians 2:2 That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ;
Colossians 3:17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.
1st Thessalonians 1:1 Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the church of the Thessalonians which is in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.
1st Thessalonians 1:3 Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father;
1st Thessalonians 3:11 Now God himself and our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way unto you.
1st Thessalonians 3:13 To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.
2nd Thessalonians 1:1 Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:
2nd Thessalonians 1:2 Grace unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
2nd Thessalonians 2:16 Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace,
1st Timothy 1:2 Unto Timothy, my own son in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord.
2nd Timothy 1:2 To Timothy, my dearly beloved son: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
Titus 1:4 To Titus, mine own son after the common faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior.
Philemon 1:3 Grace to you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
From Peter?
1Pe 1:3 ¶ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, {abundant: Gr. much}
FROM JOHN THE BELOVED?
2Jo 1:3 Grace be with you, mercy, and peace, from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love.
GOD THE, GOD OUR FATHER.
THE LORD JESUS CHRIST.
And then again at verse 2 Paul adds:
2 Grace unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
And then in verse three Paul summarizes for us the core principles or focus of ever Christian, saying:
3 We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the agape love of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth;
Faith grows
Love abounds.
Central throughout the New Testament directives. That is what Paul thanks God for in these believers. That is what believers ever since have their primary focus upon while in this life –
GROWING FAITH
And ABOUNDING LOVE.
And again, in that order. The two commandments of the Christian.
Faith, which comes by hearing of the word. Faith in the promises of God, in the descriptions of God, in the expectations of God in our lives – Growing faith, which as it grows enables us to abound in agape love toward God and others, the two great commandments.
Hold fast to both of these things coming about by the Spirit and you will have captured the essence of the Christian call on your life.
We will end there.
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